Established in 1994 and based in Grand-Quevilly, Seine-Maritime (76), BADT LEVAGE is specialized in the design, construction and installation of overhead cranes. The company offers single-girder, double-girder and box-type cranes, for loads of up to 70 tonnes, fitted with lifting equipment. With its team of specialized technicians, it is well-positioned to offer solutions to all types of lifting and handling requirements throughout Normandy. BADT Levage is a member of the Verlinde after-sales service network and of Europont, French’s leading network of overhead crane manufacturers. Recently for one of its customers, it installed a 3.2-ton overhead crane fitted with a Verlinde hoist with reduced hook height and a modification to the support structure.
BADT LEVAGE, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024, has recognized expertise in lifting and handling. The company has won the trust and loyalty of a broad range of local customers in Normandy, both SMEs and major international groups specializing in fields as diverse as aeronautics, boiler making, petrochemicals, metal construction, metallurgy, paper mills and waste recovery.
“We manufacture around twenty overhead cranes a year, our approach is that we cover the whole production chain, first taking the measurements and finally installing the equipment at the customer’s site. To achieve this, we are equipped with all the necessary technical means of production, and in terms of personnel, our team consists of a workshop manager in charge of production, three fitters and nine electromechanics. Thanks to the adaptability of our people and their team spirit we are to handle all these tasks”, explains Xavier Laurence, CEO of BADT Levage.
A customer specializing in pharmaceutical packaging, who has been working with BADT LEVAGE for nearly 15 years, was using a crane runway with a 2-tonne suspension crane to mount moulds on injection presses. To increase production, the company wanted to install three new, more voluminous and consequentially heavier moulds. However, the customer did not want to replace their existing crane runway.
They approached BADT Levage with a request to split the crane runway into two parts and install a new 3.2-ton crane on the second part.
A tailor-made solution
Xavier Laurence describes the new configuration: “The first crane remains in place, equipped with a EUROCHAIN Verlinde VR12 electric chain hoist which we replaced a few years ago and which has given our customer complete satisfaction. We made a design calculation for the framework supporting the new 3.2-ton overhead crane. According to our study, the framework needed to be reinforced and raised, and we installed these without interfering with the movement of the carts that deposit the moulds at the foot of the presses.” “The 3.2-ton bridge serves the three new presses”, he continues. “It includes two overhangs, each 1.25 m long, to extend the hoist coverage area. The hoists pick up the moulds from the foot of the presses and feed them into them. We chose a VERLINDE EUROBLOC VT model, a space-saving electric wire rope hoist. The larger volume of the new press models and the heavier moulds, weighing in at 2.8 tons, meant that there was a height constraint under the hook.”
Short lead times
The hook height authorized by the EUROBLOC VT hoist was a critical factor for the manufacturer when choosing the new press models. BADT LEVAGE’s recent, high-performance cradle and equipment enabled the installations to be commissioned very rapidly, in just three weeks, which was a major source of satisfaction for the customer. The project demanded the know-how and expertise of three full-time BADT Levage technicians.
